A new charity bike ride to help fight childhood cancer will traverse Vancouver Island this June.
Andy Dunstan was a police officer for 30 years, and he rode in the Tour de Rock in 2003. After helping organize that annual two-week long ride from the North Island to Victoria for 20 years, he’s now starting a new venture. It’s one that will accomplish double the same feat in a fraction of the time.
The End2End Cancer cycling relay will be done by eight riders going from Victoria to Port Hardy and back in less than 48 hours. Yes, you read that right. Around 1,000 km of total riding in less than two days. It’s stated goal to raise $100,000 for the Island Kids Cancer Association.
“The cause is so worthwhile,” says Dunstan. “Two days of discomfort is was better than a course of chemo, or worrying about how you’re going to put food on the table or how a family is going to pay their rent when they lose their income. A little bit of discomfort for us is going to hopefully ease discomfort for others.”
Dunstan is hoping to make this an annual ride, and is hoping for community support in getting it up and running. He made the announcement of the idea at a kickoff event yesterday at Trek Victoria, where he works part-time as a mechanic since he retired from police work.
The Island Kids Cancer Association (IKCA) was established in 2017 to fill a gap in services for families dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
“Our goal is to help the entire family navigate the journey by offering programs and services focused on connections, mental health and wellness and financial support,” reads the IKCA website. “We also break down isolation and financial barriers that surround childhood cancer, offering connections through IKCA workshops and other resources. We understand the challenges, know the system and we can help.”
Dunstan has known about the work they’ve done for several years and has a few personal connections who’ve been helped by them. He says IKCA helped over 200 families since their inception and he’s hoping this ride will help them continue to make a difference.
“I always knew that IKCA deserved our attention. I mean, there’s only three staff and one part-timer, so for them to get $100,000 from us would be amazing for what they do,” says Dunstan.
“If I can inspire some people to ride up and down the island in 45 hours and give IKCA $100,000 to continue the amazing work that they do for Vancouver Island and Gulf Island families, then more power to them and 48 hours of discomfort for me is not a big deal.”
As for the ride itself, riders will be divided into four pairs that will ride five legs of around 50km each. Each pair will bike their 50 km, and then be shuttled to their next location where they will wait, nap, and recharge. During the ride, they’ve arranged for an escort to help them stay visible – especially during the overnight parts of the ride. They are relying on volunteers to help as medics and other support crew.
The team of riders will all train together to form a team bond. This year’s crew – to be announced at a later date – will be comprised of former Tour de Rock riders, various first responders, people Dunstan met through his policing career, and customers he’s met at Trek.
“I want to use these people that I know have experience from these mass cycling events, because then we can have a little bit of control for the first year until we get it up and running,” says Dunstan. “If we’re successful and logistically it’s possible, then next year we can expand our rider selection and have more people from the community riding.”
For the fundraising side of things, he’s already arranged for a couple of events including a dad-band competition, a pickleball event, rugby event.
You can learn more at the End2End Cancer ride’s website End2EndCancer.com. All donations to the website will receive an instant tax receipt. If you’re interested in volunteering, sponsoring, or supporting the event in any way, you can contact them directly at [email protected].
